According to Los Angeles sheriff's officials, the remains were found Sunday morning by hikers in a rural area of Palmdale. The remains were identified as Smith. The autopsy results have not been finalized, and a cause of death has yet to be determined.
Smith worked in movie distribution at 20th Century Fox.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officially declared Smith dead in May. His Mercedes-Benz was recovered in a Simi Valley storage facility in February 2013. John Creech rented the storage space and was named a person of interest. Creech is a convicted drug dealer.
Investigators said Smith had some kind of relationship with Creech's wife. Creech is already behind bars for an unrelated crime.
No one has ever been officially charged with Smith's death.
The investigation is ongoing.